¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Thursday charged deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun with crimes against humanity during the 2024 July uprising.

Mamun, however, turned state evidence after pleading guilty to the five counts of charges while the tribunal scheduled the formal commencement of the trial with the prosecution’s opening statement for August 3, to be followed by the beginning of the examination of witnesses on August 4.

The tribunal of Justice Md Golam Mortuza Mozumder, judge Md Shofiul Alam Mahmood, and Justice Mohammad Mohitul Hoque Anam Chawdhury framed the first charges in the case over atrocities, committed during the uprising, filed after Hasina fled to India amid the mass uprising on August 5, 2024.

Former IGP Mamun pleaded guilty in the tribunal and offered to testify as an approver against Hasina and Asaduzzaman.

He admitted to his involvement in the atrocities, expressing that he was willing to make a full and truthful disclosure of the events.

From the dock, Mamun read out a written statement: ‘I plead guilty. I am willing to voluntarily make a full and truthful disclosure of all circumstances within my knowledge relating to this case.’

His statement came after the tribunal read out five charges against him. When asked whether he pleaded guilty or not, Mamun confirmed his admission without hesitation.

The tribunal also allowed a prayer from Mamun’s lawyer Jayed Bin Amjad to accommodate him in a separate cell inside the jail for the sake of his security.

Section 15 of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act allows the tribunal to pardon someone accused of serious crimes -- such as genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity -- listed under Section 3 of the law.

This pardon is, however, not unconditional. The person concerned must agree to give a full and honest account of the crime and names of others involved.

If the pardon is granted, the person becomes a witness for the prosecution. They are questioned during the trial and usually remain in custody until the trial ends.

The tribunal noted that the remaining two accused — Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal — remained absconding. As a result, the charges could not be formally read out or explained to them.  

Earlier, on July 7, Mamun’s lawyer informed the tribunal that his client had instructed him not to file any discharge petition at this stage.

The same day, the tribunal concluded the charge hearing from the state-appointed defence for Hasina and Asaduzzaman.

The three accused have been formally indicted under Sections 3(2)(a), (g), and (h), read with Sections 4(1), (2), and (3) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.

They face charges of abetment, conspiracy, incitement, complicity, and failure to prevent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, torture, and other inhuman acts committed during the uprising in Bangladesh.

The tribunal is authorised to impose the death penalty or other punishments, depending on the severity of the crimes defined in Section 3(a) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.

On July 2, the same tribunal sentenced Hasina to six months in jail for contempt of court over a leaked phone call, made while in India, in which she allegedly said, ‘I have had 227 cases filed against me, so I have a licence to kill 227 people.’

State-appointed defence counsel Amir Hossain, representing both Hasina and Asaduzzaman,  argued for their discharge in the uprising case, calling the charges ‘politically motivated and out of the tribunal’s jurisdiction’.

He mentioned that the incidents in question did not meet the legal threshold for crimes against humanity under the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973 as they stemmed from ‘political conflict’ rather than war.

He said that the two tribunals were formed in 2009 by the Awami League regime to try 1971 war crimes suspects. After the August 5, 2024 fall of the Awami League regime, the interim government reconstituted the two tribunals and amended the ICT Act 1973 on November 24, 2024 mainly to prosecute those responsible for the July–August 2024 atrocities.

The first charge states that Sheikh Hasina, then prime minister and head of the ruling Awami League and the 14-party alliance, between July 1 and August 5, 2024 — specifically on July 14 around 5:00-6:00pm — made inflammatory remarks at a press conference.

She reportedly referred to the student protesters involved in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement as ‘sons and grandchildren of razakars’ (1971 wartime collaborators), while they were peacefully demanding reforms to the public sector recruitment system.

Following her remarks, activists from the ruling party’s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, allegedly launched violent attacks on student protesters at Dhaka University and across the country.

Ministers, MPs, and political leaders from the Awami League and its allies are also accused of acting on her incitement to suppress the protest movement.

The second charge against Sheikh Hasina alleges that on July 14, 2024, around 11:00pm, she held a phone conversation with professor ASM Maksud Kamal, then vice-chancellor of Dhaka University.

During the phone call, Hasina reportedly referred to the peaceful protesters as ‘razakars’, saying that they ‘should be hanged or killed.’

She stated that she had already instructed law enforcing agencies — including the police, Rapid Action Battalion, and Border Guard Bangladesh — to act accordingly.

The charge further states that Hasina on July 18, 2024 spoke on phone with her cousin Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, then mayor of the Dhaka South City Corporation.

In that conversation, she allegedly ordered the use of lethal force — including live ammunition, drones, and helicopters — against the unarmed protesters.

She also directed security agencies to carry out widespread arrests, detentions, and acts of torture across the country.

Following her orders, security forces are accused of opening fire on protesters, using helicopters to shoot from above, and causing mass casualties.

The crackdown allegedly killed over 1,500 people and seriously injured more than 25,000, leaving many of them blind or permanently disabled. The victims included women and children.

The charge also states that Hasina ordered her party’s armed supporters to set fire to key national infrastructure — including the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (parliament), Bangladesh Television headquarters, and several metro rail stations — to falsely blame the protest movement and justify further violence.

According to the charge, Asaduzzaman and Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun directly executed Hasina’s orders. Both men allegedly supervised and coordinated operations using lethal weapons, drones, and helicopters to target demonstrators.

On July 27, 2024, Asaduzzaman and Mamun jointly authorized another round of coordinated attacks, says the charge.

Law enforcing agencies, under their command, reportedly launched widespread assaults involving live fire, abduction, unlawful confinement, and torture —constituting crimes against humanity.

The third charge alleges that police, ruling Awami League activists, and Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur officials on July 16, 2024, around 2:00pm, confronted unarmed student protesters at the university.

As students began demonstrating peacefully in front of the university gate, police, and Awami League activists reportedly opened fire on them without warning.

The protest quickly dispersed due to widespread injuries, but student leader Abu Sayeed remained standing, arms raised in defiance.

Acting on direct instructions from the three accused, Hasina, Asaduzzaman, and Mamun, police, including Rangpur Metropolitan Police officers, university vice-chancellor Md Hasibur Rashid, and local Awami League leaders, allegedly oversaw the operation.

ASI Md Amir Hossain and constable Sujan Chandra Roy have been accused of shooting Abu Sayeed multiple times in the chest at a close range, killing him on the spot.

Sayeed’s body was taken to Rangpur Medical College Hospital. Authorities allegedly attempted to conceal the true cause of death by filing a false first information report. Forensic experts were reportedly pressured to alter the autopsy report four times.

In a further attempt to deflect blame, a criminal case was allegedly filed against Sayeed’s fellow activists based on fabricated information.

These acts, the charge states, constitute inhuman crimes under international law and fall within the category of crimes against humanity.

The fourth charge has accused Hasina, Asaduzzaman, and Mamun of abetting shooting and killing six unarmed protesters at Chankharpool during the March to Dhaka on August 5, 2024.

The deceased were identified as Shahriar Khan Anas, Sheikh Mahadi Hasan Junaid alias Mostakin, Md Yakub, Md Rakib Howlader, Mohammad Imamul Haque, Manik Mia, also known as Shahrik.

The charge frames these killings as part of a broader, systematic attack on civilians and alleges that they amounted to crimes against humanity.

The fifth charge alleges that on August 5, 2024, around 4:00pm, a deadly attack on peaceful protesters occurred near the Ashulia police station under the direct supervision of local lawmaker Mohammad Saiful Islam and on the orders of deputy inspector general of police Syed Nurul Islam. Five protesters were shot, burned alive in Ashulia during the attack.

The victims were identified as Sazzad Hossain Sajal, As-Sabur, Tanzil Mahmud Sujoy, Bayezid Bostami and Abul Hossain. Another person was severely injured but remains unidentified.

After the shootings, police reportedly collected all six bodies — including the injured individual showing signs of life — and loaded them onto a pedal van, later transferring them onto a police pickup.

According to the charge, police then poured petrol on the bodies and set them on fire. The injured protester, still alive at the time, was given no medical assistance. Instead, officers allegedly added more fuel and wood to the fire, ensuring that all six were burned beyond recognition.

The ICT Investigation Agency’s member Alomgir Mia submitted its report against Hasina, Asaduzzaman, and Mamun to the chief prosecutor’s office on May 12 and chief prosecutor Mohammad Tajul Islam on June 1 placed the formal charges to the tribunal which later took the charges into cognisance.  

According to the charge sheet, a total of 3,05,311 rounds of bullets were used across the country, including 95,313 rounds in the capital alone.       

Investigators further said that the Chief Prosecutor’s Office received at least 350 complaints over crimes against humanity during the July–August 2024 uprising.

A total of 41 cases were shortlisted for investigation while formal charges were filed in four cases —indictment in one case against Hasina, Asaduzzaman, and Mamun were ordered on Thursday, and another case over Chankharpool awaits indictment order by the ICT-1 on July 14 while two separate cases, one linked to the murders of Abu Sayeed, and the other related to the six killings in Ashulia remains pending for indictment by ICT-2.